From Trash to Villain Master of Card: With Harem of Evil women-Chapter 87: Festival Preparations
Aschenfall Central Plaza — One Week Before the Festival
The plaza had been transformed.
From a functional space for markets and public meetings into... something completely different.
Decorations hung from every surrounding building. Colorful fabrics waved in the breeze. Garlands of flowers—real and paper—created arches.
Wooden stalls being constructed. Platforms for musicians. A cleared area for dancing.
And in the center, something massive covered with tarps.
Aurelia’s secret project.
Gorman supervised the construction with evident satisfaction.
"Higher that arch! It needs to be visible from the main streets!"
"And those flowers! Make sure they’re evenly distributed!"
The citizens worked with an enthusiasm not seen in months.
Months of war, reconstruction, survival.
Finally, a moment to celebrate.
An elderly woman—Mrs. Mueller, a local baker—approached Gorman.
"Do you think Lord Kaito will appreciate all this?"
Gorman smiled.
"Appreciate in the traditional sense? Probably not. But it will remind him why it’s worth it."
"Poor man. I heard about... the changes. After the fifth summoning."
"He sacrificed a part of himself for us."
Gorman looked toward the fortress in the distance.
"So we’re giving something back. A reminder of humanity."
Mrs. Mueller nodded.
"Then let’s work harder."
And so they did.
---
Kaito’s Office — Same Day
Kaito was surrounded by documents.
Agricultural production reports. Defense statistics. Commercial expansion proposals.
He processed each one methodically.
Wheat production: +15% this quarter. Acceptable.
Border patrols: no incidents. Efficient.
New trade route proposal with Stahl: projected 20% benefit. Approve.
Everything reduced to numbers, efficiency, optimization.
A knock at the door.
"Come in."
Adelheid entered, but only partially.
"Commander. I’m going to... be busy for a few hours." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Kaito looked up.
"Busy with what?"
"Personal matters."
"What kind?"
Adelheid hesitated, barely perceptibly.
"The kind that doesn’t require your immediate attention."
Kaito processed that.
Adelheid was rarely vague. But her expression indicated she wasn’t going to give more details.
"Understood. Anything I should be concerned about?"
"No. I’ll be back in three hours."
"Acceptable."
Adelheid left.
Kaito returned to his documents, filing the absence as: "Personal. Not relevant to kingdom operations."
He didn’t investigate further.
---
Aurelia’s Workshop — Hours Later
The five queens were gathered.
Adelheid had just arrived, the last to appear.
"Everyone ready for the fitting?" Aria asked.
Various grunts of assent sounded.
Naporia stared at her red dress hanging on the mannequin with an expression that mixed admiration and terror.
"I still can’t believe I’m going to wear that. In public."
Lilith, already partially dressed in her purple kimono, smiled.
"You’ll look spectacular. Trust me."
"It’s not MY spectacularity I’m worried about. It’s tripping and falling in front of hundreds of people."
Aurelia bounced between them.
"TIME FOR THE FINAL FITTING! I need to see how you move!"
"How you walk! How you BREATHE in this!"
Valeria was already fully dressed — a silver kimono with geometric patterns.
She stood perfectly still.
"Breathing function: normal. Movement function: restricted compared to combat clothing."
"That’s because you need to learn to FLOW!" Aurelia shouted.
She began with a demonstration.
Her own movements were chaotic, but graceful in their own way.
"See?! You let the fabric GUIDE you! You don’t fight against it!"
Adelheid tried first.
Her deep blue kimono fit her perfectly.
But she walked as if still wearing armor.
Rigid. Military. Functional.
"Adelheid, relax your shoulders," Aria instructed. "You’re not going into battle."
"It’s hard to unlearn twenty years of military training."
"You don’t have to unlearn it. Just... adapt it."
Aria demonstrated the correct posture.
Adelheid tried to imitate her.
Better. Still not perfect.
"Three days of practice," Adelheid murmured. "Three days to learn a grace I don’t possess."
Naporia was next.
Her bright red kimono was spectacular.
But she walked like... well, like a warrior empress about to massacre an army.
Long, deliberate, intimidating steps.
"NAPORIA! You’re not going to KILL anyone! WALK normally!"
"This IS my normal way of walking!"
Aria sighed.
"Shorter steps. Smoother movement. Imagine you’re... stalking prey, but silently."
Naporia blinked.
Then she adjusted.
Her movement became more fluid — still predatory, but less overtly aggressive.
"Better! Keep practicing!"
Valeria walked when instructed.
With perfect precision.
Literally perfect.
Each step exactly the same length, the same speed, the same angle.
Like an automaton.
"Valeria... you need... variation."
"Why? This is optimal."
"Because you look like a robot."
Valeria processed that.
"I am partially a machine. Invalid objection."
Aria laughed despite the frustration.
"It’s okay. Your precision is... unique. Maybe it’ll work for you."
Lilith was the only one with natural grace.
She moved as if born wearing a kimono.
Fluid, seductive without even trying.
Centuries of social practice showed.
"LILITH! Perfect! You teach the others!"
Lilith smiled.
"With pleasure."
Aurelia, in her own pink dress, practically bounced.
"And I am fabulous, OBVIOUSLY!"
"Aurelia, your energy is... a lot," Aria said diplomatically.
"THANKS! I know!"
---
Central Plaza — Stage Construction
While the queens practiced, Aurelia had delegated the construction of her masterpiece.
A team of carpenters and artisans worked from detailed sketches.
The stage was taking shape.
An elevated platform three meters high. Access from a hidden side. Fine fabric curtains that could open dramatically.
But the special part was the lighting.
Aurelia had created a system of magic crystals — small fragments that glowed when activated.
Hundreds of them, embedded in the stage frame.
When they were all activated simultaneously...
One of the workers tested the control.
The crystals lit up.
A soft, warm, golden light.
Transformed the stage into something almost magical.
"Impressive," murmured the team leader.
Gorman watched with approval.
"Aurelia knows how to put on a show."
"What exactly is this?" a worker asked. "What’s such an elaborate stage for?"
Gorman smiled mysteriously.
"It’s a surprise. You’ll see."
---
Kaito’s Office — Days Later, Drake Distracting Him
Drake entered with a stack of documents.
"Commander. Urgent matters."
Kaito looked up.
"What kind?"
"A territorial dispute between two farming families. Requires arbitration."
"Can’t it wait?"
"Both parties insist it be resolved before the festival. They say it affects morale."
Kaito processed the information.
Questionable logic. But if it affected morale...
"Alright. Bring both parties."
Drake hid a smile.
There was no dispute.
Gorman had invented the entire scenario — with cooperating farmers — to keep Kaito busy.
Meanwhile, festival preparations continued.
And, more importantly, the queens’ rehearsals.
---
Rehearsal — Two Days Before the Festival
Aria had prepared a private area in an empty warehouse.
A space roughly the same size as the actual stage.
The five queens practiced their coordinated entrance.
"The music starts. Adelheid, you enter first. Walk to the center. Stop there."
Adelheid practiced.
Her movement was more fluid than before. Still not perfect.
But better.
"Lilith, second. Natural grace. Position yourself next to Adelheid."
Lilith executed the order perfectly.
"Naporia, third. Remember: no tripping."
Naporia walked carefully.
She almost tripped once on the kimono hem.
Recovered.
"Better! Keep it up!"
"Valeria, fourth. Precision is fine. Just... try to attempt a slight smile."
Valeria tried to smile.
The result was... unsettling.
A half-smile, mixed with an expression of confusion.
"...or maybe better stick with the neutral expression."
Valeria returned to her expressionless face.
Better.
"Aurelia, fifth. Energy, but controlled. No jumping."
Aurelia practically vibrated.
"I’ll try! But I promise nothing!"
She walked onto the improvised stage.
With more control than expected — still energetic, but not chaotic.
"Good!"
The five, in a line.
Aria observed.
It wasn’t perfect.
Adelheid still too rigid. Naporia uncomfortable. Valeria robotic.
But there was... something.
Sincerity. A genuine effort.
And that mattered more than technical perfection.
"One more time," Aria said. "With feeling, this time."
"Feeling?" Valeria asked.
"Think about Kaito. About why you’re doing this."
"To show him he can still feel. That you are more than functions."
"That you love him."
Silence.
Then, they nodded.
They repeated the entrance.
This time... it was different.
Adelheid walked with a soft determination — still a commander, but also a woman.
Lilith, with a grace that communicated deep affection.
Naporia, with a barely visible vulnerability under her fierceness.
Valeria, with a genuine attempt at humanity.
Aurelia, with a chaos that was pure life.
Aria felt tears forming.
"Perfect. That’s it, exactly perfect."
The five looked at each other.
Shared a moment of understanding.
This could work.
It could reach Kaito.
It could remind him how to feel.
---
Kaito’s Office — Night Before the Festival
Kaito, finally, had finished the day’s work.
Sixteen hours of constant processing.
He leaned back in his chair, exhausted.
Drake had come and gone all day with "urgent matters."
Curiously, all were resolved quickly.
Adelheid, Lilith, Naporia, Valeria — all disappeared for hours.
"Personal matters."
Aurelia, constantly in her workshop.
Something was happening.
Kaito processed the patterns.
Coordination. Shared secrecy. All coinciding with the festival.
Conclusion: a planned surprise.
Nature: unknown.
Should he investigate?
He considered it.
Then decided not to.
If it was a surprise, unraveling it by investigating would be... counterproductive.
And a small part of him — very small, distant — felt something.
Curiosity.
A faint anticipation.
Perhaps even... hope.
He stood and walked to the window.
The plaza was visible in the distance.
Decorations. The covered stage. Final preparations.
Tomorrow would be the festival.
And he would discover what they had planned.
"Let’s see if it works," he murmured. "If I really can feel something."
---
Final Queens’ Meeting — Midnight
The five, in Adelheid’s room.
The dresses, hung carefully. Ready.
Aria had gone to rest.
Now, only them.
"Tomorrow," Adelheid said. "All or nothing."
Lilith nodded.
"If this doesn’t reach Kaito... I don’t know what will."
Naporia touched her dress.
"I feel ridiculous. And terrified. And... hopeful."
"Hopeful of what?" Valeria asked.
"That when he sees me... he really sees me. Not just as a warrior. As a person."
Valeria processed the information.
"The function of being seen as a complete person. I understand that desire."
Aurelia bounced on the bed.
"It’ll work! It HAS to work!"
"Because I worked TOO HARD on these dresses for it NOT to work!"
Adelheid smiled, despite the nerves.
"Then, let’s rest. Tomorrow... we’ll show him who we really are."
The five nodded.
Each retired to her room.
To try to sleep.
Before the day that would change everything.
Or that would change nothing.
Only tomorrow would tell.
